Maximising the impact of Public Development Banks in financing the transition – challenges & opportunities

Conferences Webinars - By : Sarah BENDAHOU / Blandine ARVIS

The 5th Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) in Cape Town was the opportunity once more to to discuss how public development banks can align all their activities with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Though the central role of public development banks in driving the sustainability agenda is acknowledged by most governments and public development banks, challenges subsist in translating this potential into transformational action. Two well-identified barriers are a lack of clear investment opportunities in some markets and sectors (especially nature and biodiversity) and the absence of sufficiently developed impact indicators. 

 

In this breakout session, we explored how the impact of public development banks on low-emission and resilient development is currently being assessed. Looking ahead, we will identify some opportunities for public development banks to maximise this impact and increasingly contribute to a deep transformation of the real economy.  

 

Date: 26 February 2025 

 

Time: 14:00-15:30 (GMT+2) // 13:00-14:30 (CET) 

 

Format: in person and online (livestream: Finance in Common Summit) 

 

Location: Cape Town International Convention Centre, Hall 2

 

Partners: FiCS GRN and World Resources Institute (WRI) 

 

Moderator: Valerie Laxton, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute 

 

Moderator: Valerie Laxton, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute 

 

Panellists: 

  • Isabelle Bébéar, Head of International and European Affairs, Bpifrance 
  • Barbara Marchitto, Head of Country and Financial Sector, EIB 
  • Jonas David, Research officer, AFII  
  • Nicole Pinko, Senior Program Associate, CPI  
  • Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD  
  • Arora Akansha, Director of Strategic Affairs (Multilateral Development Banks), International Sustainability Standards Board, IFRS Foundation  
  • Romy Calderon, Chief Economist, ALIDE
  • Jenifer Zungu, Project Lead, SANBI 

 

 

Agenda

Opening remarks 

 

Panel 1: How effective are PDBs at delivering on sustainability goals? 

Discussion 

 

Panel 2: Where are the opportunities for transformational impact of PDBs in favour of climate and nature? 

  • Reducing the cost of capital for NDBs through contingent, resilience linked bonds based on Mobilizing funding for NDBs/RDBs through sustainability-linked, credit-enhanced bond structures 
  • Debt-for-nature swaps, an innovative tool to scale investments for nature based on Leveraging Public Development Banks in Scaling Debt for Nature/climate Swaps 

Discussion 

 

Closing remarks 

 

More informations about the FiCS

 

26 Feb 2025

Maximising the impact of Public Development Banks in financing the transition – challenges & opportunities

I4CE Contacts
Sarah BENDAHOU
Sarah BENDAHOU
Research Fellow – Development finance Email
Blandine ARVIS
Blandine ARVIS
Research Fellow – Development Finance Email
To learn more
  • 07/08/2026
    State of EU progress to climate neutrality – ECNO 2026 Flagship report

    ECNO’s analysis is structured around 13 building blocks of the transition, tracking six-year trends across nearly 146 indicators, as well as the expected impact of climate-related public policies.

  • 07/03/2026 Foreword of the week
    The heat is on

    It is hot in Europe. Very hot. And the summer has only just begun. The recent heat wave in large parts of Europe reminds us that the forthcoming European framework for climate resilience and risk assessment comes with high stakes: it is about the safety of populations and the competitiveness of the European economy. 

  • 07/02/2026
    The Bankability Test: Unlocking Bank Credit for European Cleantech

    On the cusp of the Age of Electricity, Europe is on a mission to both strengthen industrial competitiveness and accelerate decarbonisation. The European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal serves as the blueprint to deliver this ambition.

See all publications
Press contact Amélie FRITZ Head of Communication and press relations Email
Subscribe to our mailing list :
I register !
Subscribe to our newsletter
Once a week, receive all the information on climate economics
I register !
Fermer